Duncan has found a home in media

It seemed like eons ago since Chris Duncan had stepped on a baseball field before coaching the Illinois squad at the 2012 PNC High School Baseball Showcase.

Duncan retired from Major League Baseball in 2010 after being released by the Washington Nationals. He played for the St. Louis Cardinals from 2005-09 after being drafted in the first round of the 1999 Amateur Draft.

The Cards traded him to the Boston Red Sox on July 22, 2009 for shortstop Julio Lugo and Duncan never saw the Major League field again.

A below average fielding outfielder, Duncan had superb power potential with the bat, blasting 22 homers in 2006 and 21 in 2007. His average left something to be desired though as a lifetime .257 hitter.

He was a key cog on the 2006 Cardinal team that won the World Series, his best season in the majors. He hit .293 with 22 dingers and 43 RBIs in 90 games for the Cards. In 2007 he was entrenched in left field for St. Louis, playing in a career high 127 games while belting 21 homers and driving in 70 runs, but saw his average plummet to .259 as the Cardinals missed making the playoffs.

Now he can be found entertaining loyal listeners of the ESPN 101.1 radio station with great baseball insight and a witty personality. Duncan also does work as an analyst for Fox Sports Midwest during Cardinal games.

He truly enjoys his new career and realized on a hot June 18 afternoon at Busch Stadium just how quick the transition from athlete to media member has taken place.

“I was joking with the players that I hadn’t been in the sun for awhile and I’m burning up out here,” Duncan said with a laugh. “I’ve been in a radio booth all day for the last year, either that or in my basement studying sports.

“It was definitely fun to get back out here, put the uniform on, watch the kids and be around the kids. I try to help them when I can. I try not to say too much unless they ask. If they ask I try to give them pointers and hopefully something I say along the way can help them, but it’s a lot of fun to be a part of this. They did a great job selecting these kids. It’s a fun game.”

Duncan who comes from a pretty prodigious coaching lineage with his father Dave Duncan, who is widely regarded as one of the best Major League pitching coaches of all-time, explained coaching isn’t on the top of his agenda right now, but he can never say never.

“I would never rule it out, but right now I’m really enjoying what I’m doing on the radio and I feel really lucky that, Kent Sturling, the program director over at ESPN, gave me the opportunity to be on the drive time show,” said Duncan. “I’ve really felt comfortable with D’Marco (Farr) and Randy (Karraker) and I feel like I’m getting better at it. I’ve set a lot of goals within the media to keep being successful doing the radio stuff.”

It’s a complete 180 for Duncan, who as a player, shied away from talking with media members after games.

“As a player I was always really careful what I said to the media,” he said. “I was always scared I was going to say something stupid. I didn’t want to give the media too much information so I was always kind of closed off, but now that I’m not a player anymore and I can give my true honest opinion of what I think and my best baseball analysis possible, I think it’s different. It’s allowed me to open up and be more myself.

“I just try to be honest. If I’m going to take a job as a baseball analyst I have an obligation to go out there and give my honest opinion on what I’m seeing. I think that’s the way I’ve tried to attack it and have fun and open up and so far it’s been great.”

He admits the job of TV analyst differs greatly from the more relaxed atmosphere as a radio personality.

“The TV is way different from doing radio,” he said. “It’s two completely different things, but they’re both equally as fun.”

One thing Duncan’s young media career has shown off is his colorful personality. That’s something media and fans didn’t have the opportunity to see during his playing days.

At the showcase, the players got first hand experience with his playful personality and they loved it.

“Chris Duncan reminds me a lot of (Post 199 pitching coach) Tim Stunkel with the way he jokes around,” said Jevon Boyd, who pitched for the Illinois squad as an Edwardsville representative. “It’s just nice to talk to a former MLB player.”

Former Edwardsville Tiger Derek Page, who played for Illinois also, added that Duncan did an excellent job of showing the prep players how they are expected to act on the field at the next level, something he appreciated.

“Chris is a really good guy and he gives you a lot of good insight on how you should handle yourself on the field and that’s always nice to have,” said Page.

Duncan just reveled in the honor bestowed on him to be named a coach at the showcase. Now he just hopes he can remain a part of it in the future.

“I think they did a great job putting this together and hopefully I can be a part of it for years to come,” he said.